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Aṣa

Aṣa (pronounced [Asha]) is a French singer and songwriter of Nigerian origin (born Bukola Elemide, January 1st 1970, Paris). Nicknamed Aṣa (little hawk) because she often ran away and changed directions as a youngster, she returned to Lagos in Nigeria with her family at the age of two. Her mother was a shopkeeper and her father shot video reports for weddings. Settled in Paris in 2004, she worked with [a=Manu Dibango] and has been influenced by pop, reggae and African traditional sounds, more particularly by [a=Bob Marley] and [a=Fela Kuti]’s songs. Her manager Janet introduced her to [a=Cobhams Asuquo] in 2004, who in turn became her musical partner. Signed to the [l=Naïve] label, Aṣa recorded her debut album with producer [a=Christophe Dupouy], which has been hailed as one of the best African albums of 2007.